


I Need You So Much Closer (Come On)

by booksandanime



Category: ANSATSU KYOUSHITSU, Assassination Classroom
Genre: And that's a fact, But he's afraid, He can never be afraid of him, He wants Karma to really see him, He wants Karma to understand, Karma and Nagisa make a three tiered chocolate cake, M/M, Nagisa doesn't take advantage of him though, Nagisa is observant, Nagisa knows and understands Karma, Nagisa wants to be closer, Some spoilers for "Civil War Arc", The only person Karma listens to is Nagisa, They're slowly getting closer, They're so close yet so far
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-05 21:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6724324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksandanime/pseuds/booksandanime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nagisa wants to be closer, he doesn't want to be so far away, but he's afraid. He's so afraid of messing things up, of making Karma hate him, of losing someone he really cares about for the second time, that he doesn't say anything about it. Doesn't say anything about what he wants, and only talks to Karma as if everything's normal, as if it doesn't physically pain him to not be closer to Karma, to not touch him, a pat on the back, or a soft touch on his cheek.</p><p>He doesn't tell Karma any of that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Need You So Much Closer (Come On)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to Episode 17 of the anime, which is supposed to air sometime around 2:00 A.M. in my place, and I'll probably be asleep an hour before that, so I thought of posting this early. 
> 
> If you haven't watched it yet, or read Chapters 147-148 and want to avoid spoilers, please stop reading at the (*) sign. Thank you! ^ ^

Nagisa was used to not standing out.  
  
  
He preferred it really, because this way he could stay in the shadows and watch everyone else. He liked looking at others, noticing the way they behaved, their personality, the things they said and did. He especially liked watching Karma.  
  
  
Karma was something else. He caught on to things much faster than others, and his intellectual prowess was so great that Nagisa believed that Karma could be in Class A if he wished. Why he was in Class D was a mystery to Nagisa, but he think it had something to do with the fact that Karma wasn't trying to go into higher classes. Which mystified Nagisa since he was trying his best to rise higher.   
  
  
But that was just one of the many differences between them.   
  
  
Honestly, Nagisa thinks that Karma would never even notice him if he wasn't reading a Sonic Ninja magazine that one day. To say that he was surprised when Karma approached him was an understatement. And when Karma invited him to watch it together, Nagisa was happy.  
  
  
After that, they spent more time together, and Nagisa started to think that they were becoming friends. He was a little unsure about it, because he never had friends before Karma and he didn't know what to do, but Karma always made everything seem easy.  
  
  
He made Nagisa felt comfortable, and that was all that mattered. So when Nagisa asked him one time if they were friends, Karma said, "If you want us to be", while smiling gently all the while.  
  
  
Nagisa said yes. It was during that time that Karma stopped calling him "Shiota" and started calling him "Nagisa."  
  
  
It felt new and it felt right.  
  
-  
  
Sometimes Nagisa forgot just how much differently other people viewed Karma.  
  
  
He's reminded of it when Karma shows a picture of what happened to witnesses, and Sugino hisses at him, "Don't let him join our group!"  
  
  
He's strangely hurt for Karma's sake.  
  
  
He knows that people look at Karma and immediately think that he doesn't care about anyone but himself, that he's violent and dangerous. Karma is dangerous, but he has good intentions. He's never hurt anyone that hasn't deserved it, and he has morals that he lives by.   
  
  
He's also protected Nagisa on countless occasions, and Nagisa knows that he feels safe with Karma.   
  
  
He wants to explain all of this to Sugino, but he doesn't know where to start. He settles instead with a, "But I understand why he's like that."  
  
  
And he does, he truly does.  
  
  
He knows why Karma does the things he does, he knows that Karma doesn't do things without a reason, knows that he only goes after people who have hurt or made fun of other people. He knows that Karma has never hurt anyone innocent, and that he doesn't drag bystanders into his plans. He's witty and cunning and fast and fierce.  
  
  
He fights to protect people, and it's something that Nagisa admires.   
  
_  
  
Knowing what Karma would do next came naturally to Nagisa.  
  
  
It was a skill that was developed after a lot of time spent watching him and observing him. Nagisa knew for a fact that Karma had a kit he always brought with him, and while he didn't know the full list of the contents, he knew that it contained various pepper sprays, a taser, coils of rope, handcuffs, raw green peppers, a camera, and a cookbook. (the latter always confused Nagisa, but he guessed it was something familiar for Karma.)  
  
  
He knows what kind of pranks Karma likes to do and on which kind of people. He knows that Karma never hits girls, only persuades them by talking to them. He knows that Karma fights like the person he is, fiercely and with a carefree wildness.  
  
  
Karma fighting resembles something graceful to Nagisa, if not unnecessarily brutal.   
  
  
Nagisa remembers the first time Karma fought someone in front of him, before they started changing the way the called each other. It was a middle schooler, their age, in another class. He was bullying someone shorter than him, and Karma didn't stand by to watch.  
  
  
As soon as the bully lifted his knee to kick the person in front of him, Karma quickly interfered by punching him in the stomach. As the bully doubled over, clutching his stomach and groaning, Nagisa hurried over to the victim. "It's ok, you're going to be ok." Nagisa said, reassuring him. "Though you should probably leave now."  
  
  
He squeaked and nodded, "Thank you! Both of you!"  
  
  
Then he ran.  
  
  
And Karma dealt with the bully with punches and kicks, and Nagisa flinched with every blow Karma managed to land. Just before Karma was about to punch the bully in the face, Nagisa found his voice.  
  
  
"Karma! You've already made your message clear, please stop. Any harder and you'll really hurt him." Nagisa said, worriedly.  
  
  
Karma turned around to face Nagisa. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of me?"  
  
  
Nagisa shook his head. "No. I'm afraid _for_ you."  
  
  
And it was true, he realized. He didn't want Karma to really hurt him because he didn't want Karma to be labeled as someone menacing. Because Karma cared, he really did, and Nagisa didn't want Karma to be have to stoop down to the bullies' level.   
  
  
Karma looked surprised. Nagisa wondered if he shouldn't have said anything at all, but then Karma nodded. "Ok."  
  
  
And he let the bully go. He leaned down close and whispered, "I won't go any further today. But don't go near him again, you got that?"  
  
  
The bully nodded, tears streaming down his face, then he left. Karma exhaled, then turned to Nagisa. "I'm sorry you had to see that."  
  
  
"No, it's ok. I know you were only trying to protect the victim. I'm not scared, Akabane." Nagisa said, believing in what he was saying.  
  
  
"You should be scared." Karma said, but his eyes had a hint of something hopeful in them.  
  
  
"Are you planning to hurt me?" Nagisa asked.  
  
  
Karma's reply was immediate. "No."  
  
  
"Then I'm not afraid of you." Nagisa said, and gently stepped forward. "I'd like to stay with you, if that's alright."  
  
  
Karma looked bewildered, but then he shrugged. "You're strange, Shiota."  
  
  
"No I'm not." Nagisa said, pouting.  
  
  
Karma smiled a little, and in that smile, there was something resembling vulnerability. "Whatever you say."  
  
  
Nagisa smiled back at him. "Let's go home, Akabane."  
  
  
And they went, walking a little bit closer together than before.  
  
-  
  
Nagisa has never needed to watch his words around Karma.  
  
  
It doesn't mean that he swears or trash talks Karma, far from it! What he means is that he's never had to censor what he was thinking or feeling, and he never had to hesitate to tell Karma when he was out of bounds.  
  
  
When other people were afraid to tell Karma to stop, Nagisa says so, gently, carefully, but firmly. Karma listens of course, and it never fails to surprise anyone, least of all Nagisa.   
  
  
He never thinks to take advantage of it, though, even when Nakamura slings an arm around him, and asks him to tell Karma to obey his wishes.  
  
  
Nagisa sighs, half exasperated and half fond. "Karma wouldn't listen to me about that. He only listens when I have good advice or something important to say, and this is none of the above."  
  
  
"How do you know? He might?" She says, winking at him.  
  
  
Nagisa rolls his eyes. "It's a violation of his privacy, Nakamura. I won't do it."  
  
  
And Karma walks over to him while slinging an arm around his waist (since Nakamura's arm is still around his shoulders), and grins at Nagisa. "That's my best friend."  
  
  
It shouldn't have made Nagisa blush, but it did. Nakamura quickly retracted her arm to take a picture of the two of them, cooing all the while.  
  
-  
  
Karma has always been unpredictable. He had many sides to him that Nagisa didn't know about, but he was content with figuring him out at his own pace.  
  
  
Nagisa remembers the first time Karma managed to surprise him. It was this one time where they were both still in Class D, Nagisa came over to Karma's house, only to be met with a piece of paper shoved in his face.  
  
  
"Let's do this!" Karma declared.  
  
  
Nagisa blinked. "A three tiered chocolate cake? What for? Is it your birthday?"  
  
  
"Nah, my birthday's on December 25. I just thought it would be a good dessert to eat." Karma said, looking at him hopefully.  
  
  
"Kama, there is no way the two of us can finish a three tiered chocolate cake all by ourselves!" Nagisa exclaimed.  
  
  
"Well, we could always pack some for snacks, if you want." Karma suggested.  
  
  
All protests of "That's unhealthy!" died on Nagisa's lips when he saw the excited and hopeful look the other was aiming towards him. It was a look that Nagisa felt sure he would see in the future, but that thought didn't stop him from sighing, and smiling back. "Ok."  
  
  
Karma's eyes widened, then he grinned. "Great! Follow me."  
  
  
They went to the kitchen, where various ingredients were already placed on the table. Nagisa raised an eyebrow at the sight of them. "Did you already know that I was going to say yes?"  
  
  
"Well I hoped, but even if you didn't want to help me, I still planned on doing it." Karma replied, with a slight smirk on his face.  
  
  
Nagisa sighed again, then he straightened up. "Ok, talk to me about the ingredients."  
  
  
Karma looked surprised at first, and Nagisa wondered if he shouldn't have just started cooking, but then Karma looks almost pleased. "Ok so I've split the ingredients into two groups. One group is for the cake, and the other one is for the buttercream. So the ingredients for the cake are 150g cocoa powder, 600ml boiling water, 350g butter, softened, 600g caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract, 6 eggs, room temperature, 360g self raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/2 tsp salt. For the buttercream, we have 250g butter, softened, 500g icing sugar, sifted, 200g dark chocolate plus some extras, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk. We're also going to use 3 x 25 round baking tins. Did you get all that?" He asked, pointing at each item in turn.  
  
  
Nagisa took a few minutes to reply, but he nodded. "Yeah."  
  
  
"Ok, so I'm going to preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Can you grease and flour the 25 cm round cake tins? Lightly of course." Karma said, and stared at Nagisa expectantly.  
  
  
"Yeah, sure." Nagisa said, nodding.   
  
  
"Ok. Tell me if you need anything." Karma said before turning around to face the oven.  
  
  
Nagisa turned to the tins, and carefully put a little bit of grease on the bottoms of all tins. Then he sprinkled flour on them and carefully spread it around with a spoon. When he was done, Karma walked over to him.   
  
  
"Now we have to combine the boiling water with the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Leave to cool." Karma said, reading from the recipe. "I'll grab a bowl and I'll put the cocoa powder in it, while you pour the water and stir it. That ok?" Karma asked.  
  
  
"Yup." Nagisa replied, and Karma quickly grabbed a bowl. He put in the cocoa powder while Nagisa grabbed the handle of the container and gently poured the water while Karma mixed it together. Then when he was done pouring, Karma gave him the mixing spoon, and Nagisa started mixing.  
  
  
When it started to look smoother, Karma gave a hum of approval. "Ok, next step is to sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt, and then set it aside. I can do that. Meanwhile, you can cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition."  
  
  
They busied themselves with the preparations, and after Nagisa deemed that the mixture was good enough, Karma added all of the flour, while Nagisa gently mixed it. Then they folded in the cooled cocoa. Finally, they divided the mixture into the prepared cake tins and baked it for 35 minutes. After, Karma loosened the edges of the cake with a knife- "To reduce cracking the cake as it cools and shrinks"- then left it onto the table to cool for 20 minutes.  
  
  
"While we're waiting, we can start on the buttercream. Still good?" Karma asked him.  
  
  
Nagisa nodded. "Yeah, don't worry, I still want to help."   
  
  
"Great." Karma said, flashing a smile. "Ok, so I'm going to melt the chocolate over a bain marie, while you cream the butter until smooth, gradually adding the icing sugar and continually creaming it until light and fluffy."  
  
  
Nagisa nodded, and then they worked again. There was a comfortable sort of silence between them, where Nagisa knew that even if he didn't say anything, it wouldn't be awkward at all.   
  
  
He smiled softly while working. It was fun. He was comfortable.   
  
  
He didn't notice that Karma was beside him until he looked up to see him, with his eyes unnaturally soft. "You really are having fun." And there was something in his voice that sounded so insecure that Nagisa immediately understood.  
  
  
Karma was new to this friendship thing too. For some reason, this made Nagisa's chest fill with warmth.  
  
  
"Karma, I might not always have fun when we're together, but I do like being with you. Ok?" Nagisa said.  
  
  
Karma nodded. "Ok."  
  
  
They continued to work, with Karma giving instructions every now and then. Finally when the cake was finished, they stood looking at it.   
  
  
"So, one slice for you, one slice for me?" Karma asked.  
  
  
"Yeah." Nagisa said, nodding.   
  
  
So, Karma took out a knife and delicately sliced the cake, taking two pieces and putting them respectively on their plates. "You eat first." Karma said, and waited. He looked eagerly at him, so Nagisa smiled, then took a bite.  
  
  
His eyes opened wide. He chewed some more, then he swallowed. "Karma, that was delicious!"  
  
  
"Really? You really think so? I mean, of course it is, why wouldn't it be?" Karma said, smirking a little bit.  
  
  
"It's great." Nagisa assured, and Karma smiled at him.  
  
  
"I"m glad you enjoyed it." He said.  
  
  
When they were done eating, they stood looking at the rest of the three tiered cake. "So. What  _are_ we going to do with this?" Nagisa asked.  
  
  
"We could either watch a movie tomorrow and bring this along to save money, or we could pack it to eat it for school tomorrow?" Karma asked, looking slightly unsure.  
  
  
Looking at Karma furrowing his eyebrows while staring at the cake, and tilting his head ever so slightly, Nagisa was hit with a wave of fondness. "I'm sure we'll figure it out."  
  
  
Karma looked at him, and smiled in reply. "Yeah, I'm sure we will."  
  
  
(They ended up doing both, and they finished the cake in a week, and whenever Nagisa tastes chocolate, he always has a smile on his face, remembering what happened in the past.)  
  
-  
  
There are times when Nagisa wants to be beside someone, and there are times when he's perfectly happy being in the background.  
  
  
Whenever he was with his mom, he was perfectly content to walk a few steps behind, to let her have the spotlight. He's used to being with his friends, being happy for them, wishing them to be in the spotlight, because they deserve it, they really do.  
  
  
Sugino's one of his best friends and Nagisa is happy to be beside him, but he knows that whenever it comes to baseball, he's usually a bystander, but he knows he can support Sugino this way. As for Kayano, he supports her through gentle advice, soft pats on the back, knowing that he cares for her. He does, he truly does, but sometimes he knows that she can stand strong without him. Nakamura, meanwhile, is different. He likes spending time with her, but he knows that she can handle herself, no matter what happens.   
  
  
He's proud of his friends really, and he likes being with them, but what he feels with Karma is on a different level from them.  
  
  
Whenever he's around Karma, his heart beats a little faster, his eyes shine a little bit brighter, he smiles more often, and he sighs a lot too. Also, he finds himself wanting to be wanting to be closer to Karma, wanting to be with him more, wanting to keep their time together longer. It startles Nagisa, because he wants it so much, and he doesn't think he's ever been so intense about wanting to be with someone before.  
  
  
He doesn't say it out loud of course, because he thinks it's selfish, and he also thinks that it might scare Karma away. He's already left once, Nagisa didn't want to give him a reason to leave again.   
  
  
There are also times when Karma is absolutely amazing, getting the highest scores out of everyone in the class, and Nagisa remembers just why they drifted apart. They're on different levels after all, and he's never going to be able to catch up to Karma.  
  
  
So he stays in the background, watching him, feeling happy for him, but getting this ache in his chest, that can only be pain or sadness.   
  
  
He wants to be closer, he doesn't want to be so far away, but he's afraid. He's so afraid of messing things up, of making Karma hate him, of losing someone he really cares about  _for the second time,_ that he doesn't say anything about it. Doesn't say anything about what he wants, and only talks to Karma as if everything's normal, as if it doesn't physically pain him to not be closer to Karma, to not touch him, a pat on the back, or a soft touch on his cheek.  
  
  
He doesn't tell Karma any of that.  
  
\- (*) -  
  
Nagisa has always admired Karma.  
  
  
Even back when he was just observing him, he knew that there was something special about him. He knew that Karma had skills that was different from his own, and that he caught on unnaturally fast and he was also very perceptive.  
  
  
He knew that he wasn't even near Karma's level, but he was content with just being his friend.  
  
  
There were things he asked in return though, without saying them out loud. He wanted Karma to stay by him, to support him, and to not harm him.   
  
  
He thought it should have been a given, yet why were they fighting? Why didn't Karma agree that they had to try to save Koro-sensei? Nagisa listened to Karma, and understood that he thought it was a waste of the class' talents for assassinations and everything that Koro-sensei taught them, and that Nagisa wasn't honoring their teacher by doing this.  
  
  
Nagisa heard him, he listened, but he didn't want to agree.   
  
  
He wanted to save their teacher, because if there was even a chance that Koro-sensei wouldn't blow up the earth, then he at least wanted to try! He knew that he was probably being selfish, and acting against Koro-sensei's wishes, but this was important!  
  
  
Their teacher was important, and Nagisa didn't want to lose him, not if he could help it. He didn't want to lose the only teacher who looked at him, really looked at him, and treated him as an equal, as someone important.   
  
  
He wanted to save him, he wanted to try, why couldn't Karma see that?  
  
  
It pained him, even more than he let show, especially when Karma resulted to petty insults about his appearance. Nagisa couldn't help that he looked like this, it wasn't his choice!   
  
  
In the end, the Class decided on a combat, between two sides, Blue (Save) with Nagisa as their team captain and Red (Kill) with Karma as their team captain. They would follow the suggestion of the person that won the combat.  
  
  
Nagisa knew that he didn't like fighting, that he didn't like violence, but this was one time he wouldn't step aside. He needed to make Karma listen, he needed to make him understand.  
  
  
He needed Karma to see.  
  
-  
  
In the end, it came down to Nagisa and Karma.   
  
  
Nagisa knew that his assassination skills overpowered Karma's, but Karma's specialty was hand to hand combat. They were doing this on Karma's grounds, because it would be unfair to do it on Nagisa's.   
  
  
Every time Karma punched him or kicked him, Nagisa felt physical pain. He knew it was going to bruise later, but all he could think of was saving their teacher. Whenever he stared into Karma's eyes while they fought, Nagisa wanted to be selfish, and cry out, "Do you still not see me?"  
  
  
Because Nagisa was trying, he was hurting, everything was painful but he couldn't let it show, he needed to make Karma listen, needed to make him understand, needed to make him  _see.  
  
  
_ This was bigger than the both of them, yet Nagisa sometimes felt as if they were back in the past.  
  
  
He remembers that they drifted apart. He remembers thinking,  _Am I not good enough? What did I do wrong?_ Because he really believed that it was somehow his fault, that maybe he destroyed the first friendship he had because of not being good enough.   


Maybe he was only meant to be entertainment for Karma, maybe he got bored of him, maybe he was tired of being with him, of sharing the stage with someone as worthless and insignificant as him.  
  
  
He remembers days where it hurt to look at Karma, days of crying, crying where no one could see him, the silent type of crying where tears slid down his cheeks and no sound escaped his lips, only a few inhales and exhales to calm him down. He remembers going through school, trying to keep up with the lessons, and then hearing about Karma being expelled.   
  
  
The words felt wrong being said out loud somehow, as if there was something missing. Then their teacher told them that Karma hurt a senior in order to defend someone for Class E. And Nagisa knew that Karma had a good motive, even if others didn't see it that way.  
  
  
Karma defended someone else, and Nagisa wanted to go to him, or to the principal and ask them to reconsider. But he didn't think that Karma would appreciate him interfering, so Nagisa didn't.   
  
  
He wondered if he would stop missing Karma as the days went on. The pain admittedly lessened, but there was still a small ache or a pang every time Nagisa thought about Karma.  
  
  
In the end, Nagisa never knew if Karma saw him as he really was. But there was some part of him that whispered,  _Maybe he did. Maybe that's why he ran away. Because something in you scared him.  
  
  
_ It didn't make sense, yet Nagisa thought that it could be true. Maybe there was something in him that scared Karma off. He should have felt angry that Karma didn't approach the subject with him instead of not saying anything, but he could only feel lonely.  
  
  
Maybe Karma didn't see all of him after all.  
  
  
Right now, in the present, Nagisa needed Karma to see him, because he had to make Karma understand, he had to make Karma know why he was doing this, why he was fighting so intensely against him.  
  
  
This time he would make him listen.  
  
-  
  
Nagisa expected a lot of results from the fight, but winning was not one of them. And Karma dropping the honorifics in their names wasn't one of them either. Honestly, it was weird to say "Karma" instead of "Karma-kun", but for some reason, it felt strangely fitting.  
  
  
He liked it. It felt as if they were closer somehow.   
  
  
Nagisa caught Karma's eye and smiled slightly. Karma smiled back.   
  
  
They needed to talk. Nagisa approached him, and hoped that Karma understood. He did. Karma waved their classmates and teachers ahead. Then he turned to Nagisa.  
  
  
"Karma, before anything else, do you understand why I wanted to save Koro-sensei?" Nagisa asks, because he needs to know, needs to be sure that Karma didn't surrender just because, that their team won because Karma really understood.   
  
  
Karma thinks for a while. "Well, I think it was because you're always trying to save someone, Nagisa. Even back when we were in Class D, you always made sure that no one got hurt more than was necessary, and made sure to get innocent bystanders away when I was fighting. You cared for them a lot, so I'm sure you also care for Koro-sensei. You want to save him, because he means something to you, he's supported us all through tough times, and you wanted to risk fighting me just to try and save our teacher. That took guts."  
  
  
Nagisa stares at him for a few seconds, then he feels tears dripping down his cheeks. "You really understood." He whispers, feeling awed. The fight wasn't just for nothing, Karma really understood!   
  
  
"Of course I did, I was just too stubborn to admit it." Karma says, then lifts a hand as if to touch Nagisa's face. "Hey, please don't cry."  
  
  
"I can't help it, I'm just so glad." Nagisa says, the tears starting to blur his vision. "And I- I'm s-sorry that y-you l-left. It w-was my fault wasn't it? D-did I s-scare y-you off? I k-keep t-thinking ab-about why y-you l-left, and it's t-the only e-explanation th-that made a b-bit of s-sense."  
  
  
Karma doesn't answer for a while. "I sensed your bloodlust back then."  
  
  
"S-so i-it is m-my fault." Nagisa says, and he really can't see anymore, but suddenly there's a thumb on his cheek, wiping away the tear tracks.  
  
  
"I didn't stay." Karma says, staring down at him. "I left you, I hurt you, and I didn't try to fix things. It was my fault, I didn't know how to deal with your bloodlust, it was something different.  _You_ were someone different. I liked you, and I still do. I just didn't know how to see all of you, and accept everything. That's what you wanted, isn't it? Acceptance?"  
  
  
"No." Nagisa whispers, while shaking his head. "I just wanted you to stay."  
  
  
Karma stills, his hand still on Nagisa's cheek. "You always manage to surprise me, Nagisa."  
  
  
Nagisa rubs his eyes, and stares up at Karma. "Please tell me you'll stay now." He knows it's a selfish request, but he can't help himself, he needs to know, needs to hear the words out loud, needs to know that this isn't something that's just going to pass by.  
  
  
"I think you'll have a hard time trying to get rid of me now, Nagisa." Karma says, smiling. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
  
Hearing Karma say his name, along with practically promising to not leave him, Nagisa smiles, bright and true and happy. "Thank you."  
  
  
Karma gently wipes away the last of the tears, then slings an arm around Nagisa. "Come on, let's go back."  
  
_  
  
Nagisa has always wanted to be seen by Karma.  
  
  
He's always wanted to be close to Karma, because Karma has intrigued him in ways he doesn't even know. He's always been kind of unattainable to Nagisa, and having him as a best friend is something he never wants to take for granted.   
  
  
Karma isn't the most peace loving person, but he always has good motives, and he still fights to protect others. Nagisa has lost count of how many times Karma defended someone, but he does know that he keeps feeling something akin to fondness whenever Karma listens to him.   
  
  
He likes it when Karma smiles, likes Karma's personality because he's never tried to hide it, likes the way Karma looks at him sometimes, the way his eyes can turn softer. He likes Karma, he really does, maybe even more than a friend, but right now it might be a little bit too soon to confess this to him.  
  
  
They've only just gotten back together as friends, and Nagisa is willing to take it slow.  
  
  
"So, Karma." Nagisa says, one day while they're walking home from school. "Do you think we could make a three tiered chocolate cake again?"  
  
  
Karma blinks, surprised, then he grins, wide and slow and beautiful. "Sure, Nagisa. Though maybe we can stop by a sushi place for dinner first? That's your favorite food, right?"  
  
  
Nagisa smiles, pleasantly surprised as well. "Yeah it is."  
  
  
"Great." Karma says, and Nagisa knows he's willing to wait. He's ok with learning more about Karma, because Karma's learning more about Nagisa as well, and it's a process, something they're both doing. It isn't tiring, because they want to do this, they want to know more about each other.   
  
  
They're making up for lost time, and sure, maybe they did have quite a bit of lost time to catch up with, but Nagisa knows it's going to be fine. They're going to work things out.  
  
  
They're slowly getting closer.

**Author's Note:**

> I deleted this twice, that is why I wrote the cooking scene in, I have no idea why, it just seemed fitting. 
> 
> I got the recipe from here: http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/534893/triple-layer-chocolate-cake, I hoped I didn't mess the instructions in this fic up, but if I did, feel free to tell me.
> 
> Also I'm really tired now, but I hope you guys liked it. ^ ^ 
> 
> (Also, it's apparently been a year since I first started writing fanfiction on A03 (May 4), so to mark yesterday as a special day, I'm probably going to post another fanfic later, either BillDip, or Karmagisa, so I hope you guys stick around to find out. Thank you all for reading my fics so far, and I love each and every kudos, bookmarks, and user followers you guys gave me, I feel so lucky. ^ ^)
> 
> (Also, I know I should have posted this yesterday, but I was kind of tired and a little bit disappointed in something that happened, so I had to post this today. Hope you guys don't mind.)


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